The field of invention relates to the therapy of shock, which is defined in Blakiston's New Gould Medical Dictionary, 2d ed., page 1092 (McGraw - Hill, N.Y., 1956) as follows: "The clinical manifestations of an inadequate volume of circulating blood accompanied by physiologic adjustments of the organism to a progressive discrepancy between the capacity of the arterial tree and the volume of blood to fill it." A primary characteristic of shock is hypotension. Current attempts at treatment involve the administration of isoosmotic fluids such as blood, plasma, or volume expanders (e.g., albumin) in conjunction with vasoactive agents such as dopamine. However, such attempts are often ineffective, because they are aimed at treating the effects of shock (inadequate perfusion) instead of its causes. There are serious drawbacks associated with such attempts: (1) time is required for blood typing and/or setting up intravenous systems for administering blood or other isoosmotic fluids; (2) blood pressure must be constantly monitored when vasoactive agents such as dopamine are administered; (3) current treatments can be administered only in a clinical environment, and potential life-threatening time delays usually occur between diagnosis and treatment; and (4) moreover, such attempts are not always successful in the management of shock syndromes.